A former Canberra childcare worker has been found guilty of indecently touching a young boy while working in a local centre.
The allegations against Scullin man Muhammad Ali, 29, surfaced after a birthday party as parents compared notes about their children.
He was eventually charged with indecently touching three children, although he was today cleared of charges in relation to one child and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges in relation to another child.
But the ACT Supreme Court jury did find Ali guilty of touching the genitals of a four-year-old boy in his care.
The court heard the boy had revealed the incident to his mother when she came to collect him.
"Ali pinched me on the doodle," the boy said in his police interview.
He also admitted to retaliating.
"He thinks it was fun and it was not fun for me, and then I bited [sic] him."
Ali's lawyer James Sabharwal said the boy had been upset because his client had said he was going to tell his mother he bit him and spat at him, and the child made up the allegation as a sort of alibi.
"To minimise his own culpability for biting Mr Ali," Mr Sabharwal told the court.
But prosecutor Trent Hickey tried to refute that, telling the jury that two separate children do not say the same thing about the same person.
A three-year-old girl had also claimed Ali touched her inappropriately.
The court heard the girl's mother was concerned when she saw her genitals were red while being bathed.
The girl said she had fallen on some metal play equipment, but later she told her mother Ali had touched her, and she had lied about falling at his suggestion.
Mr Sabharwal questioned her account, saying she was asked leading questions by her mother.
"[She may have been] primed by her mother to say she had been touched," Mr Sabharwal said.
"I suggest to you there has been some embellishment when things came to court."
But Mr Hickey told the jury Ali's alleged actions pointed in one direction.
"[It] shows the accused had a sexual interest in young children and was prepared to act on it," he said.
He said any consideration of the evidence should take into account the young age of the children.
"They may not have the language to articulate what happened to them," Mr Hickey said.
Mr Hickey also pointed to the two versions Ali gave, suggesting his accounts were implausible.
At first, when confronted by other staff, the court heard Ali laughed, saying the boy had spat at him and bit him.
In a second version, he repeated that and added that the boy was pushing his bottom into his hand. Ali said it was disgusting and he planned to tell the boy's mother.
The jury was unable to reach a decision on whether Ali was guilty of touching the girl or not.
Mr Sabharwal also pointed to the third victim, who made no allegations of indecent touching, rather pointing to an allegations Ali had kicked him hard several times.
The jury found him not guilty of that charge.
But Ali will face sentencing for indecently touching the four-year-old boy.
The boy's parents have released a statement welcoming the verdict.
"We are happy that our son got the justice he deserved," they said.
"He should be recognised as a little hero in the Canberra community, he put a stop to this man committing further crimes against children.
"Teaching protective behaviours is what saved him, and we encourage all parents to teach their children."